- The headline of this story asks “How is back-to-school going?” in the Cincinnati region. Folks quoted here largely say it’s going pretty well. The story is a long one, but for better or worse, they are only talking about the rona. Cases, responses, parental concerns, etc. The chief business of schools—you know, teaching and learning—not covered at all. (Cincinnati Enquirer, 10/27/20) But let’s just go with this for a moment—forget academics (?!) and just stick to the topic of the rona. In Middletown City Schools, less than two weeks of hybrid learning were followed by 11 positive tests among staff and students and 158 staff/students having to quarantine at home. The plan to “go traditional” in the district starting in November (that is, a fully in-person learning model) has been postponed to at least January. (WKRC-TV, Cincinnati, 10/27/20) Meanwhile, a lack of substitute teachers in the region—an ESC spokesman says they have 80 percent fewer subs available this year as compared to last—means that a single rona case in Madison Local Schools has led to a return to a fully-remote learning in the high school for the foreseeable future. (The Journal-News, 10/28/20)
- As we discussed on Monday, the elected board members in charge of Akron City Schools were considering all the data in deciding whether to move from all-remote to a hybrid learning model for the second semester, which begins on November 11. Despite what the supe called some concerning “retrenchment” among students (a euphemism, I believe, for plummeting grades and test scores), board members determined to prioritize the ‘rona over the ‘rithmetic in voting to remain all-remote. However, as we know from past experience, the “traditional learning model” in many school districts does not always equate to higher grades. (Cleveland.com, 10/27/20) But all may not be lost. Akron supe David James dubbed the second semester plan as “Remote Plus”, the “plus” being an in-person component which will (eventually) be offered to the district’s most-struggling learners. The ABJ gives us what deets are available regarding The Plus, which are sketchy and beg more questions than they answer. At a minimum, there will likely be quite a few more struggling learners when this thing starts in late November even then there are now. And since the district will be relying on teachers and support staff volunteering for these in-person gigs, hope seems to be pinned on them changing their work preference (since large numbers of them want to remain remote only). Seems like more struggle ahead for those learners if you ask me. (Akron Beacon-Journal, 10/27/20)
- This is interesting. Families in Strongsville City Schools who opted to remain fully-remote while the district pursued a fully in-person learning model in mid-October seem to have been successful in nudging the district to improve that fully-remote model. Improvements noted here include more live instruction/discussion with Strongsville teachers (in addition to the “canned” third-party material already available), more meaningful teacher feedback, increased social-emotional connections for students, an option for half-day kindergarten (as opposed to the full-day-only model now available), and the addition of specials (arts, music, and physical education) to the curriculum. The district will also “help remote pupils pace themselves in their studies and give sample schedules or checklists for pupils to follow.” Guess it’s never too late to make things better. (Cleveland.com, 10/27/20)
Policy Priority:
Topics:
